TPU111 – Podcast Analytics – What Podcast Metrics to Track and Things to Keep in Mind!

Podcast Analytics serves as a measure of how your podcast is growing. But with so many different metrics, how do you know what to track?

And how do you use them to improve your show?

In this episode, we will talk about all of this and also discuss if these regular metrics are even something you should track!

Podcast Analytics – Why is it important to track them

Why should you track podcasting metrics?

Well, metrics provide valuable insights into the performance of your podcast. They help you understand your audience, measure engagement, and make data-driven decisions to enhance your content.

And in turn, all of this will help you improve your show, and achieve your podcasting goals.

Here are a few key reasons why tracking podcast metrics is essential:

1. Understanding audience engagement: Podcast analytics offer a window into how your audience interacts with your show. You can gauge their level of engagement by tracking metrics like downloads, listens, and completion rates. These metrics help you identify which episodes resonate most with your listeners and which ones might need improvement.
2. Show growth and reach: Metrics like downloads and subscriber counts indicate the growth and reach of your podcast. They provide a tangible measure of how many people are discovering and consuming your content. Tracking these podcast metrics allows you to set goals, monitor progress, and identify opportunities for expanding your audience.
3. Monetization opportunities: Many podcasters aim to monetize their shows. And podcast analytics play a crucial role in this process. Advertisers and sponsors often look for podcasts with a certain level of reach and audience engagement. By monitoring podcast metrics such as listener demographics and engagement rates, you can showcase the value of your podcast to potential sponsors.

But then what are the key podcast metrics you should track to gain valuable insights into your show’s performance?

What Podcast Metrics to track?

Here are some metrics that every podcaster should pay attention to:

1. Downloads: Downloads represent the number of times an episode is downloaded or streamed. This is the most fundamental of all metrics and something that is readily available with pretty much all podcast hosts. It indicates the overall popularity and reach of your show. Tracking downloads helps you measure your show’s growth over time and identify which episodes or topics resonate most with your audience.
2. Listens: Listens is another popular metric these days. And with the ambiguity around downloads, a lot of podcast hosts are referring to Listens instead of downloads. Listens refer to the number of times an episode is listened to, basically counted by the number of times the play button is pressed. This metric provides insights into audience engagement and indicates how compelling your content is. By tracking listens, you can identify episodes that have higher listener retention rates and replicate their success in future episodes.
3. Subscriptions and followers: These metrics reflect the number of subscribers or followers your podcast has. They demonstrate the loyalty and interest of your audience. Tracking subscription growth allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and assess your show’s long-term appeal. A question that a lot of new podcasters have is – is Listeners the same as subscribers? It is not. Listeners necessarily need not be subscribers.
4. Listener demographics: Understanding your audience demographics is crucial for tailoring your content and reaching your target audience effectively. By tracking metrics like age, gender, location, and interests, you can gain insights into who your listeners are and make informed decisions about episode topics, guest selection, and promotional strategies.
5. Engagement metrics: Metrics such as average listening duration, completion rates, and episode-specific feedback provide deeper insights into listener engagement and satisfaction. Analyzing engagement metrics helps you identify episodes or segments that resonate strongly with your audience and those that might need improvement. But these metrics aren’t something that is readily available with all podcast hosts.

How to Track Podcast Metrics – Sources!

So where do we get these metrics from and if there are challenges in getting data, what’s the solution?

From a data availability perspective, you have three ways to gather data for your show.

1. Podcast hosting platforms: Most podcast hosting platforms, such as Buzzsprout, Libsyn and Acast offer built-in analytics and insights. These platforms provide metrics like downloads, audience locations, and devices used to listen. They often offer user-friendly dashboards that make it easy to track your podcast’s performance.
2. Third-party analytics tools: In addition to hosting platforms, several third-party analytics tools specialize in podcasting metrics. Tools like Chartable, Podtrac, and Podkite provide more detailed analytics, including listener demographics, referral sources, and engagement metrics. Integrating these tools with your hosting platform can provide a comprehensive view of your podcast’s performance.
3. Social media insights: If you are using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to promote your show, then these can offer valuable analytics that can help you track engagement, measure the impact of your promotional efforts, and identify trends in your audience’s behavior. By leveraging social media insights, you can gain a holistic understanding of your podcast’s reach and engagement.

While podcast metrics can be extremely important for the growth of the show, it is also important that you don’t get too hung up on the data and start feeling demotivated.

Here are a few things that you should keep in mind when you are looking at data –

1. Don’t read too much into it – Data can be good to give you direction and evaluate your performance. But keep in mind that it is still data that is only directional. If you compare the same data between 2 apps, it is highly likely that there will be a variance. So don’t read too much into it. Use it in a positive way.
2. Look for signs – Listenership data can give you a sense of what kind of content is being liked by your audience. You can use it to create more content like that. Look for similar signs in the data and use it to create more and better content.
3. Use a 3rd party tool – I would recommend using a third party tool or, app like Chartable or, Podkite to track analytics. It will give a way of comparing the data from your hosting company. It will also give you more insights about your show which you can then use to your benefit.
4. Compare but with yourself – The tendency of most of us is to compare our podcast performance with others. This can be deceptive and detrimental to the growth of your podcast and to your motivation levels as well. If at all you want to compare, do it with yourself. Compare to see how you have grown.
5. Focus on engagement – Downloads or, Listens are a fancy number and since everybody talks about these numbers, you tend to get swayed away with it. But more than these numbers, what is important is how is your audience receiving your show. Ask for feedback from your audience. You can use social media channels or, even emails to do that. Gather this feedback. This is more important than all those numbers.

Conclusion

Remember, tracking metrics is not just about numbers; it’s about understanding your audience, enhancing your content, and achieving your podcasting goals.

But these metrics will only help you if you look at it positively and constructively. So, start tracking those metrics, and let the data guide you on your podcasting journey!

Show Notes:

Here’s what we discussed on the episode –

1. Why is it important to track Podcast analytics
2. What are the important podcast metrics to track
3. How to track these Podcasting Metrics
4. Things to keep in mind while looking at these podcast analytics

Thank You for Joining

Thank you all for joining me on the show today.

If you enjoyed this episode then I am sure you will love some of the previous episodes as well. Pick your favorite ones and give it a listen.

The podcasting university is available on all podcasting platforms. You can pick your favorite one to listen to the show there. The links to some of the prominent ones are mentioned below.

CASTBOX: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/castbox
STITCHER: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/stitcher
TUNEIN: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/tunein
GOOGLE PODCASTS: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/googlepodcasts
APPLE PODCASTS: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/itunes
PLAYER.FM: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/playerfm
SPOTIFY: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/spotify
HUBHOPPER: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/hubhopper
AMAZON PRIME: https://thepodcastinguniversity.com/prime

Recommended Resources for Podcasting

Here are some of the recommended resources for Podcasting. These are the ones that I personally use and am satisfied with and hence am recommending them.

• Acast Podcast hosting – Acast is my favorite podcast hosting company. They have excellent customer support, have a pocket-friendly plan, and even have a free option with no limits.
• Behringer Audio Interface – You will need an audio interface if you are using an XLR microphone. This is my recommended audio interface.
• Zencastr – Zencastr is the easiest option to record interviews, both audio-only and audio+video. This is a must for an interview podcast. Go to zencastr.com/pricing and use my code “thepodu” You’ll get 30 percent off your first three months of Zencastr professional.
• Audacity – This is the best and the most feature-rich free audio editing software. It gives you a lot of options while editing your interviews.
• Blue Yeti USB Microphone – My recommended microphone
• Tidycal – My recommended calendar and booking solutions
• Fusebox – Embeddable Podcast Player
• Descript – Audio Editing, Transcription and Video editing software

AMAZON DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Podcasting University is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

MICROPHONES –

1. ATR-2100x
2. MAONO AU-HD300T : https://geni.us/ro48q
3. Maono AU-WDM01 : https://geni.us/PhZ3V2v
4. Samson Q2U – https://geni.us/k9cuk
5. Audio Technica AT 2035 – https://geni.us/g2URDI
6. Rode NT USB – https://geni.us/O6b65K
7. Shure MV7X – https://geni.us/w7rZ4

LAVELIER MICROPHONES

1. Boya ByM1 Auxillary Lavelier Microphone – https://geni.us/boyabym1lav
2. Boya ByM1 Pro Lavelier Microphones – https://geni.us/boyabym1prolav
3. Digitek Wireless Microphone – https://geni.us/R3cGd
4. Boya – BYXM6 Wireless Microphone – https://geni.us/OS6gq
5. Vook Dual Channel Wireless Microphone – https://geni.us/V9YBO1i

PORTABLE RECORDERS –

1. Zoom H5 Portable Recorder – https://geni.us/rVTAIAV
2. Zoom H1N Portable Recorder – https://geni.us/dOaDg

AUDIO INTERFACE –

1. Behringer U-PHORIA UM2 – https://geni.us/gBCjm
2. M-Audio M-Track Solo – https://geni.us/RnhHr
3. HAYDEN HY-229 – https://geni.us/c80KbWB

MIXERS –

1. HAYDEN 4 Channels – https://geni.us/cXQ0
2. Behringer Q502USB

MONITORING HEADPHONES –

1. Oneodio Studio Pro-10 : https://geni.us/IQI88Se
2. Maono AU-MH501 : https://geni.us/AbNrU
3. Audio-Technica ATH-M20X : https://geni.us/eEUf9

POP-FILTER –

1. JEYANG Metal Pop Filter – https://geni.us/JMfuY
2. Wright WP 101 – https://geni.us/OcOAzj

DESK-STAND/BOOM ARM –

1. MY-STANDS MC 18 : https://geni.us/Lwnb
2. Bulfyss Professional Recording Microphone Stand: https://geni.us/mV4S

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